THOU HAST POLLUTED IT

Mans pride, World Theology, Education, Science and our Own Understanding have led us to analyze the Scriptures in order to determine TRUTH. As we use our own reasoning to dissect God’s Word: our Education, Cultural background, social, economic and personal experiences are brought to bear on the whole construct of the wisdom and knowledge been used to arrive at this truth. This process does not rely on God the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us but instead open the doors of our Hearts and Minds to the crafty infusion of the devil’s influence. So subtle is he that we are not always able to discern that we are using the tools of education, culture, sociology, economy, Science, and experience to putrefy the word; as we re-construct, redefine, rewrite, undermine, reinterpret and diminish the Divine WORD of God. In doing so, we have polluted His Word and ultimately His TEMPLE which we are. We have used these tools to re-mold, re-shape, re-make, recreate, re-define, re-invent and totally transform us into agents of Satan and not of God. Man created in the image and likeness of God does not want to be fully identified with his Creator; whose image and likeness he is. God’s laws and commandments become burdensome to us. We find them too harsh, too archaic and difficult, out of touch with our civilized customs and culture. We are not ready to receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save our Souls, but instead want to break it down to make it fit into our lifestyle, culture, plans, circumstance, desires, wants, ways and beliefs; ignoring the less pleasing things and embracing the things which are pleasing to us. Man is dissatisfied with himself and with his God. Evolution gives us a more favorable relationship with animals than with God and many of us quickly concur. We dilute His Word to make it more pliable and redefine ourselves to the standards of the diluted and polluted word. It’s easier for us to accept Commentaries on the Word; from renowned people relative to their reasoning, than to accept the Word itself. We care not that we are the temple of God, built by God, fashioned of materials that are strictly the work of God’s hands; and that the spirit of God dwells in us. God does not dwell in houses built by man’s hands. We have embraced the physical man and deny the Spiritual Man. We are God’s Temple built with an Altar on which to offer Sacrifices of Praise to the Lord our God. The real man is altogether spiritual. To reconstruc us: is to bring tools to bear on this sacred Altar on which none of our tools should be brought to bear. For: “if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it” (Exodus 20: 25). The Altar signifies a place where sacrifices are made. The Heart signifies a place where sacrifices are made (The Altar). From the dawn of human history, offerings of sacrifice were made unto God (Genesis 4: 3 - 4). At first, Israel's altars were to be made of earth:  they were fashioned of materials that were strictly the work of God's hands; just as we are strictly the work of God’s hands. We see God giving instructions to the Children of Israel on the building of an Altar on which to offer burnt offerings etc. The Lord said unto Moses: “Thus you shall say unto the children of Israel, you have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall you make unto you gods of gold. An Altar of earth you shall make unto me, and shall sacrifice thereon your burnt offerings, and your peace offerings, your sheep, and your oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto you, and I will bless you. If you will make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone: for if you lift up your tool upon it, you have polluted it” (Exodus 20:22-25).  At Sinai, God also directed Israel to fashion altars of valuable woods and metals (Exodus 27:1-8 & Exodus 30: 1-10).  From this early age we see God teaching man how to worship. He taught them that true worship required man's best and that it was to conform exactly to His directives. God: not and man, initiated and controlled worship. The Altars built by man were not the true Altars but mere shadows of the true Altar created by God himself which would be raised up in each of His redeemed for the offering of sacrifices of praise unto God Almighty. We have polluted the Spiritual Altar (Our Hearts) with the diluted word; just as the Children of Israel eventually polluted the physical Altar.

This Act of worship: "sacrifice" certainly is established and confirmed in the New Testament, for Christ became "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world" (John  1:29); who through His death became the ultimate Sacrifice bringing an end to all those things which were shadows of the true Worship. For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, could never with those sacrifices which were offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. Wherefore when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering you would not, but a body have you prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you have had no pleasure. Then said he, Lo, I come to do your will, O God”. He takes away the first that He may establish the second. For by one offering he had perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for that he had said before: “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, said the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them” Hebrews 10: 1 – 16). The Believer therefore: is not required to make sacrifices of burnt offerings in atonement for sins; but must continually offer Sacrifices of Praise to the Glory of the God of Heaven.  We are ever asking for the Holy Spirit to indwell us and for the presence of God to be with us in a manner that seem to suggest that we are unaware of the fact that The Spirit of God dwells in us and that we are holy unto the Lord. As long as we are in this world there is a war going on in us between the flesh which is ruled by the devil and the Spirit which is of God. The Un-   adulterated Word is there to sustain us in this Spiritual Battle. If we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit. Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh, but will triumph over the enemy. We often diminish who we are and elevate the stature of the building in which we gather to have fellowship on Sundays; elevating the denominational traditions and practices and embellishing them with mere sprinklings of the Word as it seem good to us; holding the building holy but seeing ourselves as ever needing to be made holy. The Believer with the indwelling Spirit of God is the true Temple. The Believer’s presence conveys holiness into the building but does not make the structure holy. The truth is: the devil has residence in the building pretending to be God. We go to the man made Altar to talk to God who never leave or forsake us, forgetting the Altar within: the place of true communion built on a foundation of LOVE. We have an Altar that keeps the soul steadfast and sure. It’s the only Altar that matters. The Heart (Altar of Sacrifice) is where true communion with God takes place. It is interesting to note that during the time that Christ was on earth; that it was those who were learned and versed in the laws and commandments, who knew how to bend, twist navigate through and circumvent them: the Chief Priests, Scribes and Pharisees, who never believed him and rejected the Word. They mocked him to the very end even as He died. They thought they knew better than to trust Him. Like them: We analyzed God’s Word to see how and where it fits into our lifestyle thereby accepting some things and rejecting some things; adjusting as we go along; to the extent that we no longer know for sure what is TRUTH; rejecting the Counsel of God to satisfy the lust of the flesh. In polluting the Word we have polluted ourselves. In polluting ourselves we have polluted our Hearts. In polluting our Hearts we have polluted the Altar of Sacrifice. In polluting the Altar we have polluted the praise. The praise is unacceptable, because: THOU HAST POLLUTED IT.

Children of God you are endued with Power: resurrection power, renewing power, power to overcome, power to go, power to come, power to stay, power to stand, power to resist evil, power to love and power to speak the Word with boldness, even as you maintain the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. Feed on the Engrafted Unadulterated Word. Whosoever keeps his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which you had from the beginning. This old commandment is the Word which you have heard from the beginning. You are born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible; by the Word of God which lives and abides forever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is as the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower thereof falls away: But the word of the Lord endures forever. This is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you. Let that therefore abide in you, which you have heard from the beginning. If that which you have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, you also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. The anointing which you have received of him abides in you and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in him. Now, little children, let us abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. (1 John 2: 5 – 7 + 24 - 28) & (1 Peter 1: 23 – 25). Abide in Him.  Love you plenty.

W. Bennett

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W. Bennett